Page 50 of Taking Chances in Cedarwood

“I never should’ve been worried, should I?”

“You should always be a bit worried. It’s who you are, and I respect that. Plus, I sort of like it.” He squeezed Cain’s ass. “Pertaining to the love scene, I know who you’re coming home to and it’s not Liam.”

“True.”

“What else?” He disengaged from Cain and sat on one of the desks. “You don’t need to waste money paying me to be part of the movie.”

“It’s only five hundred bucks.” Cain helped Andrew out of his parka. “You’ve helped to keep me here in town and it’s incidental money. But there’s another reason I asked you to come up.”

“Oh? The quickie?” He needed to lighten the mood. “I’m game if you are.”

“I wish we could.” Hunger tinged Cain’s voice and resonated in his eyes. “No, we can do that later. Right now… It’s something else.”

“Okay?” He folded his parka up and placed it on a nearby desk. “Then what?”

Maddie and Nic rushed into the room. Maddie threw her arms around Andrew. Her mother, Deborah, and Andrew’s mother, Joan, joined them in the classroom. Both women joined Maddie in hugging him.

“Moms.” Andrew continued to embrace them but couldn’t hide his confusion. “What brings you to Ohio?” He glanced over at Cain. “I’d like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Cain Ables. Cain, this is my mother, Joan. Deborah is Maddie’s mother.”

“Hi, ladies.” Cain beamed. “We’ve sort of met already, but I love when you show off your manners.”

Andrew froze. He hated surprises—like, ‘with a vengeance’ hated them. “Okay?” If he wasn’t there to introduce everyone, then what was the deal?

“They arrived before you did, and Maddie did the introductions.” Cain blushed and fidgeted. “I didn’t want to withhold information from you, but it’s part of the bigger surprise.” He flattened his palms on his thighs. “Sorry.”

Well, shit. A bigger surprise?“Okay, let’s hear it.”

“I told you he’d hate being surprised,” Joan said. She waved her hand. “But here goes. The first surprise—and there are a few—is that I’m thrilled you are with Cain. He’s a doll and we love him.”

“Thanks.” It was good to know Deb and Joan approved.

“Second, Deb and I are together,” Joan said. “As in…together.”

“We’re girlfriends,” Deborah said. “That’s why your father left us. He saw the writing on the wall and knew he wasn’t needed. He spent too much time away from us and it happened.”

“We’ve been together for five years, but we were afraid to tell you,” Joan said. “I thought you’d be upset that we’d withheld it and that we pushed out your father.”

“Mom.” He hugged them both. Twin feelings of frustration and joy battled in him. Part of him was angry that his father had stepped out on them and that they’d pushed him aside, but his father wasn’t innocent. If Joan and Deb had found love together, then good. They deserved to be happy. “I’m glad you have each other.”

Joan hugged him again. “Thanks, Andrew.”

Tears burned in Andrew’s eyes. All he’d ever wanted for his mother was for her to be happy.

“I knew this would work out,” Cain said and blinked back his own tears. “I did.”

Maddie’s grin widened. “Makes my heart happy, too.”

“Next?” Andrew rubbed his mother’s back. “Is that all? I’m thrilled you’re here and got to meet Cain. I’ve missed you both and it’s been too long since you’ve been back.”

“I know, sweetheart,” Joan said. “We were afraid, but we’re not now, so we might have to hang around a little longer.”

“Which is good,” Maddie said. She narrowed her eyes. “Dad isn’t coming to visit.”

“Good.” Most likely, their father was staying away because he didn’t feel welcome. He wasn’t wrong. “Did anyone here invite him?”

“Sort of,” Maddie said. “I needed to tell him something and didn’t want to do it over the phone.”

Andrew paused as her words sunk in. “Okay?” He couldn’t help but be concerned. “What’d you need to tell him?”

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